I read the column above, and as is typical these days, it got me all riled up. Here is the response I sent to Mark Stein:

I must take offense with several of your points.

Yes, the Knicks were 33-49. I was a season ticket holder so I know the truth, unlike many sports reporters who simply enjoy dumping on the “down” Knicks.

1)The 2004-05 Knicks had to endure the Lenny Wilkins situation - he should have been removed prior to the start of the season.

2)If the Knicks could have simply diagrammed a last-possession play, they easily could have been 41-41, given how many games they lost in the last minute of play.

3)Sweetney is undersized, I'll give you that. JYD is a role player and so is Malik Rose. You don't know what David Lee is capable of doing - Charles Barkley played the '4' at a stature less than that. And Maurice Taylor has the length to guard that spot.

4)Crawford, who the Knicks should keep anyway, has a reasonable contract. His salary stays under $9 million until the 2009-10 season, and there is a player option for more in 2010-11. But that is still 4 years away. He may be a bargain by then.

5)Boring? Hardly. Though they were frustrating, the Knicks were not boring. Trevor Ariza and JYD brought more 'juice' to the Garden than anyone since Spree first arrived with that two-handed tomahawk dunk.

6)Ariza is 20, Crawford and Richardson are 25, even Marbury is only 28. All showed MAJOR, MAJOR improvements over the last season. They should all continue to do so and provide a young core, along with the 3 1st round rookies they just added.

7)They should have traded Kurt Thomas 4 years ago. When he was not hitting his jump-shot off of the pick, he provided no offense. Removing the predictable pick-and-roll play as their only offensive option will at least create uncertainty for their opponents.

8) Penny and TimThom will be gone after the year, and so will Allan Houston. Isiah will have more freedom and will be out of the "shadow" of the legacy of Leyden's terrible deals. Since I am a die-hard, a few years of struggles won't scare me off.

I don't know why everyone in the media enjoys kicking the Knicks while they're down, and are writing them off. Larry Brown may help, but he will have to help THESE Knicks, on THIS roster.

Now don't get me wrong, the Knicks were not good last year. And it remains to be seen how successful their new rookies will be once the NBA season begins. Nevertheless, having watching almost every Knicks game last year, and better than 75% of the home games in person, it is really clear which sports hosts actually watched those games, and which just dump on the Knicks because they are down. Now being a Knicks loyalist, I will be a "fan" regardless, and maybe these folks need to act like "professional commentators" and not as fans. But still, the Knicks lost something like 30 games by a single possession. That means the Knicks could have been 49-33 instead of 33-49. And wouldn't they be singing praise then.

Well Fuck you Mike Greenberg and everyone else dumping on the Knicks. When Channing Frye and (nah nah, nah-nah-nah-nah)Da-vid Lee are dunking on people's head this year, and Stephon Marbury is not the only scoring option, and Trevor has gained weight and can lock down the 3, they'll all be eating their words.

Go Knicks Go! Fuck everyone else!!!

In response to Lugosh's post, and Z's recent signing, I'm giving the Cavs more room. Zydrunas is a good player. He can score, and while not a great defender, his length changes shots in the paint. Despite his reputation as fragile, Big Z has averaged 80 games per year and better than 30 minutes per game over the last three seasons. He can even step outside and shoot a 15 footer for you.

Cleveland just signed Z to a 5 year deal between $55 and $60 million. While a touch on the high side, Z just turned 30 and should be able to honor the contract with 5 legitimate seasons of quality play.

So where does that leave Cleveland?

C: Zydrunas Ilgauskas, DeSagana Diop (is a Free Agent)
PF: Drew Gooden, Anderson Varejao
SF: Bron-Bron, Ira Newble, Aleksandar Pavlovic
SG: Larry Hughes, Luke Jackson
PG: Jeff McInnis (is a Free Agent), Eric Snow

Robert "Tractor" Traylor, Scott Williams, and Dujuan Wagner are also FA.

The Cavs definitely, DEFINITELY, need help at PG. But otherwise, they are good now - especially in the east. If Z stays healthy, he, and Varejao and Gooden can get it done up front. Varejao is one of those crazy Brazilian energy guys. Pavlovic proved to be a decent 3 point shooter. And I think Luke Jackson may be too, though he did not play enough last year to know. It is a shame that Cleveland had to give away their first round pick this year, in the year of the PG. But there will surely be someone available for them to take, or give the mid-level exemption to, that will definitely be better than either McInnis or Eric Snow.

The Knicks have named a new Head Athletic Trainer, as Mike Saunders has moved up to take a position as assistant to the director of player care. For the last 27 years, which includes all of my memories as a Knicks fan, Mike Saunders has cared for the Knicks. Thanks Mike, and good luck.

Here's hoping that his replacement, Roger Hinds, does as well as he did.